Nipe: Route All Your Traffic Through Tor with One Command

Ever wanted to route all your machine's traffic through the Tor network, but felt like setting up a transparent proxy was a bit of a chore? Maybe you're doing some security research, need an extra layer of anonymity for specific tasks, or just want to see how your app behaves when its traffic is bounced around the globe. Manually configuring your system's gateway to use Tor isn't always straightforward.

That's where Nipe comes in. It's an open-source tool that automates the process, turning your device into a Tor router with minimal fuss. Think of it as a quick on/off switch for Tor-based network anonymity.

What It Does

Nipe is a Perl script that configures your system's network routing tables and iptables (or nftables) to redirect all traffic through the Tor network. Instead of just proxy-aware applications, all traffic from your machine—including command-line tools and background services—gets routed through Tor. It handles the nitty-gritty of making Tor your default network gateway, so you don't have to.

Why It's Cool

The clever part is in its simplicity and scope. While tools like the Tor Browser bundle protect your web browsing, Nipe aims to anonymize your entire machine's internet footprint. It's a single script that manages the complex firewall rules for you.

Some key features:

• One-Command Operation: Start it with nipe start, stop it with nipe stop. It manages its own state.
• Automatic Geo-IP Verification: It includes a simple check (nipe status) that shows your current perceived IP address and country, so you can instantly verify it's working.
• Lightweight and Self-Contained: It's mostly just a Perl script with a few dependencies. No heavy GUI or complex configuration needed.
• Handles the Dirty Work: It automatically sets up the correct rules to prevent DNS leaks and routes all traffic through the Tor daemon it starts.

Perfect for developers who need a quick, system-level anonymized environment for testing APIs, scraping data, or conducting security research in a more private manner.

How to Try It

Getting started is straightforward. You'll need Perl and a few CPAN modules installed first.

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/htrgouvea/nipe.git
   cd nipe
   

2. Install the dependencies. On a Debian-based system (like Ubuntu), you can use:

   sudo cpan install Switch JSON LWP::UserAgent
   

   (Check the project's README for specific OS instructions and module lists).

3. Run the installer script:

   sudo perl nipe.pl install
   

4. Start the routing: This will start the Tor service and configure your routing.

   sudo nipe start
   

5. Verify it's working:

   nipe status
   

   You should see a message showing an IP address that isn't your own, along with its country.

To stop routing through Tor and revert to your normal connection, just run sudo nipe stop.

Final Thoughts

Nipe is a handy, no-nonsense tool for when you need network-level anonymity quickly. It's not an all-encompassing privacy solution—you still need to think about application-level data and your own behavior—but it's incredibly useful for creating an isolated, anonymized network environment on demand.

As a developer, I can see it being super useful for testing geolocation features, checking how your service looks from another country, or just adding a privacy layer for specific development tasks. It's a neat example of how a little script can automate a surprisingly complex setup.

Check out the project, contribute, or just give it a star if you find the concept useful.

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